Method of coiling and coating flat metal stock and the article formed thereby



C. FIELD METHOD OF COILING AND COATING FLAT METAL STOCK AND THE ARTICLEFORMED THEREBY Original Filed Sept. 18, 1946 Feb. 24, 1953 FIG.-

INVENTOR. CROSBY FIELD A TTOQNEYJ.

Patented Feb. 24, 1953 METHOD OF COILING AND COATING FLAT AND THEARTICLE FORMED THEREBY Crosby Field, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Original application September 18, 1946, Serial No. 697,750. Divided andthis application August 13, 1948, Serial No. 44,010

METAL STOCK 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to apparatus for making metal wool and similarproducts and is a division of my application serial No. 697,750 filedSeptember 18, 1946. It constitutes an important step forward overapparatuses and methods of the types illustrated by my Patents Nos.1,608,478 and 1,608,481.

The usual method of making steel and similar metal wools today in theUnited States for commercial use comprises first the selection of aproper grade of steel; the grade is quite limited in its chemical andphysical characteristics. The steel is specially cropped, rolled intorods, and then drawn in several passes into wire of No. 12 gauge, thatis, approximately .106 in. in diameter. In this fashion cold workingproduces a steel wire that can readily be shaved by serrated knives,producing a chip of the strength and resiliency required. The chips thusobtained are called steel wool.

For certain classes of trade it is desirable to produce a mixture ofmetal wool with a detergent compound such as a soap. The presentpractice is to manufacture the wool and com pound separately and then tomix them. One of the objects of my invention is to provide a stockmaterial consisting of metal strip and soap or other compound and amachine for operating upon this stock material to obtain directly thedesired end product.

One of the further objects of my invention is to provide a method of andapparatus for the production of mixtures of metal wools and otherplastic, semi-plastic, jelly-like, or solid compounds.

Additional objectives will be in part pointed out as the descriptionproceeds and will in part become apparent therefrom. The inventionaccordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations ofelements, arrangements of parts and methods of operations as will beexemplified in the structures and sequences and series of steps to behereinafter indicated and the scope of the application of which will beset forth in the claims.

In this specification and the accompanying drawings, I have shown anddescribed a preferred embodiment of my invention and sug ested variousmodifications thereof; but it is to be understood that these are notintended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention, but on thecontrary are given for purposes of illustration in order that othersskilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principlesthereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they maymodify and adapt it in various forms, each as may be best suited to theconditions of a particular use.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a strip winding mechanism embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a view taken along the line 2222 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 shows a cross section through a metal wool blank embodying theinvention.

When it is desired to supply the machine disclosed and claimed in myearlier application Serial No. 697,750 with metal strip containing adetergent compound, I use the equipment shown in Figures 1 and 2. Itcomprises essentially a collapsible power driven drum 302 which, by itsspokes, is carried upon a shaft 304 free to turn in bearings 306.Bearings 306 are attached to a channel frame 3l0 of a soap tank 3l2. Tothis drum is attached a wide strip of metal Sw and two narrow strips Sn.AS drum 302 turns, these strips are tensioned and guided by two sets ofrollers 3 so that the narrow strips wind up at or near the edges of thewide strip. Two of the rollers 3M are carried in rigid bearings 3|8 anda third is disposed approximately half way between the first two andabove them in bearings 320 carried by an adjustable block 322 in a frame324 under the influence of adjusting screws 326 so that the tension onthe metal strip may be adjustably controlled. Wide strip Sw and narrowstrips Sn, each one in special coils from the rolling mill, are fed froma reel or swift, as is well known in the art.

As drum 302 rotates, the soap or other solution in tank 3|2 is pumped bya power driven pump 328 from the bottom of the kettle through an outletnipple 330, pipe 332 and a valve 333 into a nozzle pipe 334 which,because of orifices in it near its bottom, keeps the channel spacebetween the two narrow strips and the wide strip filled with soap. Thechannel and soap filling are promptly wrapped about the strip already ondrum 302 as the drum rotates in the direction of arrow Z.

Sufficient soap solution is pumped through nozzle pipe 332 so as tooverflow and the overflow is collected in kettle 312 and recirculated.Fresh soap solution from time to time is added to kettle 312. In orderto maintain the soap solution at the right temperature, I surround thekettle with an outside jacket 336. Steam or hot water may be fed intothe jacket from a source not shown rou h a p pe 338 and a nozzle 340.and may be returned to a heater through a condensate nozzle 342. Inorder to conserve heat I may surround my entire kettle or any partthereof with heat insulation.

The coil of compound and strip is then ready to be moved from tank 3l2.The coil is bound onto drum 392 by binding wires- (not shown) as is wellknown in the art. Cap screws 344 are removed, permitting the removal ofthe caps of split bearings 306. Shaft 304 is then hoisted by a crane(not shown) and removed to a convenient place where the shaft isup-ended into a vertical position. Then drum 302 is sprung inwardly byturning right and left threaded stud 346 and fthe coil of strip slidesoff the drum. Stud 346 is fthen turned in the opposite direction so asto ibring drum 302 back to its original shape and the drum is returnedto its place over tank 3 l 2.

From the foregoing it will be observed that wool cutting apparatus andmethods embodying my invention are well adaptedto attain the ends andobjects hereinbefore set forth and to be economically manufactured andemployed, since the separate features are well suited to commonproduction methods and are subject to a variety ofmodifications as maybe desirable in adapting the in vention to difierent applications.

As'many' possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features oftheabove invention and as'the art herein described might be varied invarious parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention,itis to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown inthe accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture comprising a substantially fiat-sided coilof metal having characteristics which make it suitable for conversioninto metal wool; said stock comprising a metal strip W001; said coilcomprising a pair of metal strips, one strip being of several times thetransverse width of the other, one strip overlying the other, wherebyadjacent coils of one strip are separated by an intervening coil of theother strip, and a soap compound of at least semi-solid consistencyinterposed between opposing faces of adjacent coils of the wider strip.

3. In the art of manufacturing metal wool stock, that improvement whichincludes the steps of: simultaneously coiling a metal strip of long andnarrow rectangular cross section with a spacing strip of much shortercross section into a unitary coil with a corresponding side edge of eachstrip lying substantially in a plane, whereby loops of the metal stripare separated by loops of the spacing strip, and filling the spacesbetween adjacent loops of metal strip not occupied by spacing strip witha soap compound of not less than semi-solid consistency.

4. An article of manufacture comprising a substantially fiat-sided coilof metal stock having characteristics which make it suitable forconversion into metal wool; said stock comprising a metal strip 'oflongand narrow substantially rectangular over-all transverse crosssection, each loop of the coiled strip being spaced from the next loopof the strip by an intervening narrow spacing material, the longtransverse dimension of said metal strip being several times as great asthe aggregate transverse dimensions of said spacing-material, and a soapcompound of at least semi-solid consistency interposed between opposingfaces of adjacent loops of strip; said spacing material comprising apair of narrow strips one coiled at one edge of the metal stock stripand the other coiled at the other edge of the metal stock strip wherebyeach flat sid of the coil of stock is defined by substantially coplanaralternate edge portions of metal and narrow strips.

CROSBY FIELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,646,395 Field Oct. 25, 19271,698,512 Robbins Jan. 8, 1929 1,769,577 Hopkins July 1, 1930 1,996,392Torrence et a1 Apr. 2, 1935

1. AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT-SIDED COILOF METAL HAVING CHARACTERISTICS WHICH MAKE IT SUITABLE FOR CONVERSIONINTO METAL WOOL; SAID STOCK COMPRISING A METAL STRIP OF LONG AND NARROWSUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR OVER-ALL TRANSVERSE CROSS SECTION, EACH LOOPOF THE COILED STRIP BEING SPACED FROM THE NEXT LOOP OF THE STRIP BY ANINTERVENING NARROW SPACING MATERIAL, THE LONG TRANSVERSE DIMENSION OFSAID METAL STRIP BEING SEVERAL TIMES AS GREAT AS THE LONG TRANSVEREDIMENSION OF SAID SPACING MATERIAL, AND A SOAP COMPOUND OF AT LEASTSEMI-SOLID CON-